Two days had passed since we left the Beast Palace of Yunnan.
After flying for about half a day deeper into Sichuan Province, a grand temple atop a mountain came into view.
At the center of the temple grounds stood a massive statue of the Tathagata Buddha.
The lotus designs painted on the pillars of the main hall were truly magnificent.
‘Where is that?’
Was there such a large and majestic temple in Sichuan?
It was so splendid—such a grand main hall and a towering Buddha statue—that I, someone who lived in Sichuan, thought I would have heard of it at least once. So I studied it more closely from above.
That’s when I realized where it was.
It wasn’t that I recalled some story or recognized the architecture. I recognized it because only women were inside.
A temple in Sichuan where only women lived?
It was the forbidden grounds of the Emei Sect.
In all of Murim, there were two places men were never allowed to enter: Mount Putuo in the south sea, and the Emei Sect in Sichuan. I had personally entered Mount Putuo, and now I was secretly observing Emei from the sky.
Perhaps I was the most enviable man in all of Murim.
In my past life, this would’ve been like being the only man to tour the two most prestigious all-women’s universities.
‘To have seen both martial women’s universities firsthand... this is an achievement.’
That was the sort of thought I was having when—
Suddenly, I felt a tremor.
Cho and Yeondu both shivered and spoke.
—Tsrut. 『I-It’s cold, Daddy.』
—Shaaa. 『Me too, Lord So-ryong.』
“Oh no, it must be because it’s midwinter.”
Now that I thought about it, I could feel the chill.
I had reached the Fire Realm and wasn’t as sensitive to the cold, but Cho and Yeondu were clearly struggling.
It was indeed midwinter in Sichuan.
Though the climate here was relatively mild and rarely dropped below freezing, it wasn’t exactly warm either. Plus, while both of them were wearing the winter clothes Yo-hwa had made for them, flying swiftly through the air was causing their body heat to drain faster, making the cold feel harsher.
“Let’s land for now.”
There was no helping it.
I had experienced something similar while helping Gun Hye-rin before. Just like last time, I figured we’d need to light a fire, warm up, and then resume our journey.
Though the Tang Clan wasn’t far now, we had arrived earlier than expected, so we could afford to rest.
We had planned for three or four days, and yet we’d made it here in just two and a half. There was time to warm up.
“Let’s land over there.”
I had learned how to circulate ki from Gun Hye-rin, but I still couldn’t control it properly, so I wasn’t yet able to protect the kids from the cold that way. I made a note to practice harder so I could do it next time.
We passed Mount Emei and landed on a nearby wooded hill.
As soon as we landed, I quickly gathered dry branches.
—Whoosh!
I piled up some pine branches and used the Sammae True Flame Gun Hye-rin taught me to ignite a fire. Flames sprang to life instantly.
I had the children settle down near the fire to warm up right away.
—Tsrururu. 『Ah... it’s warm.』
—Shaaaa. 『My eyes are closing...』
The warmth from the fire made them drowsy, and they closed their eyes with relaxed expressions.
“You little ones...”
It was about a dakyung later, just as the kids began basking in the warmth, that I planned to take off again and head to the Tang Clan.
But the drowsy look on their faces had vanished, and instead, they were inching closer and closer to the fire.
That struck me as odd, so I looked around—and realized it was getting colder.
Frost had started forming on the ground where none had been before.
“What the...? It’s getting colder? Kids, don’t get too close to the fire.”
—Tsrut. 『But Daddy, it’s weirdly cold.』
—Shaaa. 『Lord So-ryong, it’s getting colder and colder...』
“Right? It feels that way, doesn’t it?”
I was still puzzled when I suddenly heard Cho let out a sharp cry.
—Tsst. 『Ah! It’s cold!』
At ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) her cry, I turned to see a droplet forming on her antennae.
For an insect like Cho, the antennae were the most sensitive body part.
Was it rain? I looked up at the sky—
But what was falling wasn’t rain. It was something that shouldn’t appear in Sichuan.
Snowflakes were drifting down, dancing lightly in the air.
Snow meant the temperature had dropped below zero.
Clearly, this was one of those once-in-a-decade cold waves, or even once-in-twenty-years.
‘Seriously, why now? Maybe it’ll just snow a little and stop?’
I hoped the snowfall wouldn’t interfere with our journey, but contrary to my wish, it quickly turned into a blizzard.
And the temperature plummeted.
It felt like it had dropped to at least minus ten degrees Celsius.
I knew it for sure when the hairs in my nose froze with every breath I took.
That only happened when I’d visited ski resorts in sub-zero temperatures back in my previous life.
Even with the Tang Clan just ahead, we couldn’t move forward.
With the temperature dropping and the snow blowing so thick you couldn’t see what was in front of you, we were stuck.
I tried flying above the clouds with the kids, but even then, I couldn’t make out the terrain, so we had to descend again.
Without seeing what lay below the clouds, we couldn’t navigate.
It was cold, snowing, and visibility was near zero. We needed shelter until the snow let up.
That’s when I spotted the statue of the Tathagata Buddha below.
It looked like it had turned to face us amid the snowstorm.
I was a bit startled at the sight but quickly felt relief.
That place would surely shield us from the cold and snow.
“Kids, over there!”
—Tsrururu 『Okay, Daddy!』
I shouted to the children and flew toward the temple gates.
We landed in front of the Emei Sect’s mountain gate.
The nuns standing guard with swords and the ones sweeping snow near the entrance all screamed at once when they saw us.
“Eeeek!”
“Kyaaa!”
Amid the chaos, I respectfully offered a martial bow and spoke.
“Pardon the intrusion. I am So-ryong of the Tang Clan. We’re just passing through, but the snow and cold are severe. Might we rest here for a moment?”
Then one of the shrieking nuns seemed to come to her senses and replied in a familiar voice.
“Amitabha. I’m Yeonsu from Emei. We’ve met a couple times, haven’t we?”
“Ah, Monk Yeonsu!”
We had met before, back in the capital of Sichuan and at the Tang Clan.
I put on a friendly face, and she continued with an apologetic look.
“You look so different now I didn’t recognize you, but of course—it’s you, Little Hero So. With spirit beasts like these, who else in Murim could it be? But I’m sorry... as pitiful as your situation is, you know the rules of Emei, don’t you?”
“If it were a woman, of course we’d offer shelter from the cold and snow... but men are forbidden from entering the Emei Sect grounds. However, if it’s outside, at the pavilion over there, perhaps...”
As expected, the answer was that no men were allowed inside.
It was the response I’d been waiting for, so I spoke brightly.
“Ah, of course I understand. That’s why—could you at least let my daughter and younger sister take shelter from the snow and cold?”
“Your... daughter and sister?”
When I turned to look at Cho and Yeondu, the nuns of the Emei Sect froze in place.
***
Two days later, the snow stopped, and the cold retreated.
The surroundings had turned into a muddy mess from the melting snow.
We stood at the mountain gate of the Emei Sect to say our farewells.
“Well then, thank you for the past two days!”
“Amitabha. Think nothing of it, Little Hero So. Children, take care now.”
“Goodbye, Cho, Yeondu.”
—Tsrururu. 『Goodbye, big sisters.』
Though the nuns couldn’t refuse once the kids had spoken directly, they had initially been terrified, dragging them inside in a panic. But now, two days later, they were on quite friendly terms.
I’d worried that the children might be standoffish to people other than me, but had they actually shown some social skills?
Maybe they were growing up and changing.
Thinking that, I took to the skies toward the Tang Clan.
Today marked the fifth morning since we’d left the Beast Palace.
Though we entered Sichuan early, due to the snow and cold we’d sheltered at Emei Sect, so it looked like we’d arrive at the Tang Clan after five days total.
One day later than the three-day journey I’d initially calculated.
Still, since we’d made it to Sichuan in just two days, the fact that we’d been delayed two full days by weather and still managed to arrive in five days meant things weren’t so bad.
Bringing Ho-ye with me would slow things down due to weight, but we still had more than enough time to make it back within five more days.
‘The delay’s not great, but the kids were faster than expected, so the math still checks out.’
The weather had cleared, and the kids were rested and feeling better, so we reached the Tang Clan without pause.
I landed right in front of the Clan Leader’s Hall, where my father-in-law would be.
“So—So-ryong-nim!?”
The guards at the entrance, just like Gu Pae, were shocked to see me.
I quickly shouted for them to send word inside.
“Is my father-in-law in? Please notify him!”
“Y-Yes, sir! Clan Head! So-ryong-nim, who was in Yunnan, has returned!”
—Crash! Bang! Clatter!
“My son-in-law’s here!?”
At the sound of my arrival, my father-in-law came rushing out, as if expecting some kind of emergency.
When he laid eyes on me, his expression filled with surprise.
“What on earth? Weren’t you supposed to be in Yunnan? And where is Hwa-eun?”
He seemed quite alarmed that I had returned alone after going there for the marriage.
Did he think we’d had a fight or something and I’d come back on my own?
“Oh, it’s nothing serious. No need to worry. We’re doing just fine—it’s just that an issue came up with the Martial Alliance forces stationed in Yunnan...”
I reassured him first and then explained on the spot why I’d returned to the Tang Clan so suddenly.
“I see. So you need to take Ho-ye with you?”
“Yes, Father-in-law.”
“Then it sounds urgent. Let’s get things moving!”
“Understood!”
A true father-in-law’s love for his son-in-law.
Isn’t he the one who understands me better than even Hwa-eun herself?
He’s the type who’d take my side if Hwa-eun and I ever fought.
Realizing how urgent things were, he immediately shouted to the surrounding guards.
“Hurry and assist my son-in-law! Prepare for transporting Ho-ye!”
“Yes, Clan Head!”
The guards who had been standing watch at the Clan Head’s Hall all ran off toward the pond.
There, thanks to the snowfall, Sunbaek (Baek Seolgap) and Baekbaek were out for a walk.
“Kids!”
—Bbaeu-uuu.
—Bbaaae!
At my voice, they dashed toward me.
I patted Sunbaek’s head, and Baekbaek clung to my leg, so I scooped her up in my arms.
“You’ve grown so much, little one.”
Kids grow quickly, and you can tell even after just a few days.
Baekbaek had clearly gotten bigger since I last saw her.
She still had her soft baby fur, but her eyes were much clearer, and her shell had grown quite sturdy.
Since it was winter and she could absorb more cold energy, this was a great environment for her.
“Look at this belly.”
I was just about to blow a raspberry into her plump, soft-looking belly when Sunbaek’s voice called out.
—Bbaeu?
I had already told her I’d be going somewhere warm until spring, so she was probably asking if I was back for good. I shook my head.
“No, I just came back briefly. I have to leave again soon.”
—Bbaeu-uuu.
—Tsrururu. 『Then she says to be careful, Daddy.』
“Yeah. You take care of the baby too. Oh right, I can’t just leave like this. You little rascal, Baekbaek.”
I gave Baekbaek a raspberry on the belly, making her giggle until she nearly passed out, then approached the waiting Ho-ye: Seom and Byeok.
They were now well-trained and looked genuinely happy to see me.
I stroked their heads and explained the situation.
That there were many bad things out there right now and I needed their help.
“...So that’s why I need you.”
—Waaae.
—Waaae.
They nodded without hesitation, as if of course they’d help.
Just then, the warriors finished preparing the water pouches and called out.
“So-ryong-nim! All ready!”
The pouches had been dipped into the pond and dragged around to fill them with a decent amount of water.
Too much water would make them heavy and slow us down.
We only needed enough to keep their skin from drying out, so I figured we could remove a bit more after the kids were loaded.
“Alright, hop in.”
I pointed at the pouches the warriors were dragging. Seom and Byeok blinked as if to ask, Are you serious?
“Yes. We’re flying now.”
At my reply, there was a brief silence... then came the sounds of wailing.
As if they were asking: Whyyyy?
—Waaaeaaa?
—Waaaeaa?
